All together as one.

Acts 11:28-30
One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.

This verse exemplifies a biblical basis for both missions work and helping those in need within the body of Christ. If they have needs, all sacrifice as if those needs were their own. Notice that each one provided help as they were able and not beyond their means. This plan working hinges on each one giving something every time they are able. If only few give, more is required of the few and that plan will leave needs unmet. The body should function as a body; together in unity and sacrifice. Such is a loving church - living and thriving depending on God together.

Verse/Commentary courtesy of 'Verse-A-Day' android app.
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.idelata.VerseADayFree

Love never stops.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7
Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Here Paul lists the qualities of love. I would like you to consider 4 of these things today. Love is not self-seeking, it keeps no record of wrongs, it rejoices with the truth, and then focus on the “always” attributes: protects, trusts, hopes, perseveres. Survey these things from God’s perspective, then from your own. For example, consider that God keeps no record of the wrongs you have done against Him in forgiving you through the blood of Christ. Then ask yourself what records you keep on others, and whether they are records that should be kept or left behind.

It breaks my heart to see in the news how quick people divorce now. Each time, I ask myself did these people understand what love is or is that how much they belittle the sacred vow of holy matrimony? If it was love and not lust in the beginning, then nothing should separate the couple. But today as God is absent in the lives of people it is no wonder that they don't fast and pray to save their marriage but rather, they seek what financial gain they can reap in compensation. May God open our eyes to the truth in Jesus' name!

Love and nothing else.

1 Corinthians 13:1-3
If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing.

Whatever we do in the absence of love towards others is good for them but it's not the best. The person will gain physically the service being rendered and it ends there. But when you put your heartfelt love into what you are doing not only does the person you're helping sense God in you because He is love but you also receive love in return from the person to whom the service is rendered. When this occurs, there's a spiritual door that is opened and God Almighty sends forth His blessings to you having your name also written in one of His special books in heaven!
God is love. (1 John 4:16) Any word, any label at His disposal and He chose love. There’s more than one word for love in the Greek, and this word love is ‘agape'. This is deep, lasting, unconditional love. So when someone says, “God loves you”, it means something awesome and amazing. Let love drive your service to God and your relationships with others. Holy Spirit, please anchor our lives in this kind of love. Spiritual gifts mean nothing if they are not practiced in love. Seek to love others in this most excellent way.

The Word is pure.

Psalm 12:6
And the words of the LORD are flawless,
like silver purified in a crucible,
like gold refined seven times.

A crucible(NIV) is basically a framework that is used to heat or purify substances. The other 3 translations use the term furnace. The idea here is that the word of the Lord is as good as it gets. Nothing is truer, sweeter, or more accurate than the Word of the Lord. Immerse yourself in the Word and hunger and thirst for more. Today, setup a plan to read one of the gospel books (Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John) this month. Commit yourself to staying in the Word of God and include in your effort being open to be led by the Holy Spirit into all truth.

Don't take bad advice.

Job 13:13-16
Keep silent and let me speak; then let come to me what may. Why do I put myself in jeopardy
and take my life in my hands? Though he slay me, yet will I hope in him; I will surely defend my ways to his face. Indeed, this will turn out for my deliverance, for no godless person would dare come before him!

Most times we have made great errors in our lives people were involved whether they be friends or family members. Many people for example, would have still be virgins before marriage but due to peer pressure gave in and now regret doing so today. How many people have divorced due to external influences, how many people are smoking, drinking and taking drugs due to the influence of someone. It is not wrong to take advice but pray before following it. Great decisions have also be made by following advice from those who know you best!

After we hear some bad advice from Job’s friends (Job 4-12), we see here his response. Take a moment today and consider Job’s statement in verse 15, “God might kill me, but I have no other hope.”(NLT) In that statement, Job shows us a desperate dependence on God for everything. He recognizes that he has no hope separate from God Himself, and cries out to God honestly! Bring all that you are to God, do not “fake it” or hold back with Him. Lord, we are desperate for you! Praise God that you receive us as we are, and not only as we ought to be.

We are one

1 Corinthians 12:12-13
Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

When we become one in spirit, how we are in the physical should no longer count. There are many churches today that exist all over the world, where segregation is still practiced. If you are white there are certain churches that will nit welcome you and vice versa. I know of different instances where people have left a church for thus reason and many such like ; such as nit having the right type of dressing or coming from a particular social class! All if this nonsense should stop and for the first time let us truly represent Christ indeed by welcoming sinners to repentance. No one is perfect but we are perfected in Christ Jesus, the author and finisher if our faith. When we can be blind to our differences then can we begin to see the way God sees us.
We all drink of the same Spirit and were baptized by the same Spirit. This is the Holy Spirit, the same spirit that hit the apostles at Pentecost after Jesus went back to Heaven. We form one body and are united under one head, Christ Jesus. We should celebrate, encourage, and pioneer the development of one another’s gifts. Each gift is given so that the body of Christ may be complete. Do not covet the gifts of others; God chose your gifts especially for you. Your offering for Him is hand-picked and cherished. Experience peace with that and use what you have been given.

Even the devil sees God.

Job 1:6-8
One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them. The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.” Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”

Remember that Satan who is called Lucifer in Scripture is an angel, so that gave him the right to be in the meeting. He may now be a fallen one but he's still a servant of God. He is more faithful in his work in destroying believers than Christians are in doing the word of God. Sit down and think for a moment - Satan has direct access to God while you who have been a Christian before Adam was created can not even testify to seeing an angel! This is a slap on Christians. When are we going to decide to stop following this world system and start living out the word of God like Job? When last did god testify of you?

If you've ever doubted that evil seeks to destroy your relationship with God – that ends today. In this passage, Satan shows Himself before God. God mentions Job to Satan. Here you have Job, someone who is doing right by fearing God and shunning evil. Why mention him to Satan? The Lord did this with Job (it’s right here in scripture), and He could do it with you if you are living right before Him. He is sovereign and if He wants to prove a point to Satan through your obedience, He will. Your role in the equation is to continue to be obedient. His love for you remains strong.

Do not fear death anymore.

Hebrews 2:14-18
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

It is amazing the number of Christians today who still have the fear of dying. Once you give your life to Jesus, the devil's grip on you is loosened. Death no longer have power over us because we now have salvation. The only person who should fear dying is the person who is not sure of whether he's going to heaven or hell. Remember that death is not the final point, we are simply changing address from this world to the next.
This verse is a reinforcement that Jesus Christ is our High Priest. It is the design of a loving Father to send His Son to be born a man in order to break the power of death that held us captive. It is critical and necessary that we recognize that Jesus suffered when He was tempted. This is proof that He was man enough to pay for our sins. Jesus put on flesh to qualify Himself as a suitable prospect to atone for our sins. Temptation is a tool of Satan and you were set free to have victory over it by Jesus Christ; the God man who stood firm so you could gain eternal life and be saved.

Do not fear death.

Hebrews 2:14-18
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. For surely it is not angels he helps, but Abraham’s descendants. For this reason he had to be made like them, fully human in every way, in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God, and that he might make atonement for the sins of the people. Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

This is reinforcement that Jesus Christ is our High Priest. It is the design of a loving Father to send His Son to be born a man in order to break the power of death that held us captive. It is critical and necessary that we recognize that Jesus suffered when He was tempted. This is proof that He was man enough to pay for our sins. Jesus put on flesh to qualify Himself as a suitable prospect to atone for our sins. Temptation is a tool of Satan and you were set free to have victory over it by Jesus Christ; the God man who stood firm so you could gain eternal life and be saved.

Verse/Commentary courtesy of 'Verse-A-Day' android app.
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.idelata.VerseADayFree

Untitled

Titus 1:15
To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

When we decide to believe in Christ, our minds need to be renewed. (Romans 12:1-2) As this transformation is happening, we are susceptible to stumble – as is any unbeliever because our “minds and consciences are corrupted”. (NIV) We are transforming, but not transformed. As we are purified (one of the aspects of transformation) those who are purified need to take care in their actions around us. Some things they would do or say are perfectly fine for them, but may cause us to stumble in our transformation (purification). As we grow in Christ, we must take on this responsibility as well.

Verse/Commentary courtesy of 'Verse-A-Day' android app.
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.idelata.VerseADayFree

Are you optimistic or pessimistic?

Titus 1:15
To the pure, all things are pure, but to those who are corrupted and do not believe, nothing is pure. In fact, both their minds and consciences are corrupted.

This verse shows the importance of not judging others by what you see because you do not know what phase of development they are. Be gentle to the people you meet on your way up, you might just meet them on your way down! How you look at life is what it'll give back to you - it's a spiritual law. See the beauty of God's creation in the people and in your environment and people might just begin to show you kindness also. My mentor, Rev Tim Omotoso once said :
'The greatest problem is self. The greatest solution is self. '

When we decide to believe in Christ, our minds need to be renewed. (Romans 12:1-2) As this transformation is happening, we are susceptible to stumble – as is any unbeliever because our “minds and consciences are corrupted”. (NIV) We are transforming, but not transformed. As we are purified (one of the aspects of transformation) those who are purified need to take care in their actions around us. Some things they would do or say are perfectly fine for them, but may cause us to stumble in our transformation (purification). As we grow in Christ, we must take on this responsibility as well.

"A Prayer - I Arise Today":

I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through the belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness of the Creator of Creation. I arise today through the strength of Christ's birth with his baptism, through the strength of his crucifixion with his burial, through the strength of his resurrection with his ascension, through the strength of his descent for the judgment of Doom. I arise today through the strength of the love of Cherubim, in obedience of angels, in the service of archangels, in hope of resurrection to meet with reward, in prayers of patriarchs, in predictions of prophets, in preaching of apostles, in faith of confessors, in innocence of holy virgins, in deeds of righteous men. I arise today through the strength of heaven: light of sun, radiance of moon, splendour of fire, speed of lightning, swiftness of wind, depth of sea, stability of earth, firmness of rock. I arise today through God's strength to pilot me: God's might to uphold me, God's wisdom to guide me, God's eye to look before me, God's ear to hear me, God's word to speak for me, God's hand to guard me, God's way to lie before me, God's shield to protect me, God's host to save me from snares of devils, from temptations of vices, from everyone who shall wish me ill, afar and near, alone and in multitude. I summon today all these powers between me and those evils, against every cruel merciless power that may oppose my body and soul, against incantations of false prophets, against black laws of pagandom against false laws of heretics, against craft of idolatry, against spells of witches and smiths and wizards, against every knowledge that corrupts man's body and soul. Christ to shield me today against poison, against burning, against drowning, against wounding, so that there may come to me abundance of reward. Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ behind me, Christ in me, Christ beneath me, Christ above me, Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ when I lie down, Christ when I sit down, Christ when I arise, Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me, Christ in every eye that sees me, Christ in every ear that hears me. I arise today through a mighty strength, the invocation of the Trinity, through belief in the threeness, through confession of the oneness, of the Creator of Creation.

Thought to be by St.Patrick
(5th century AD)

Find out more:
http://www.roboticode.co.uk

Jesus will return again!

Hebrews 10:23-25
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Discipline is needed in Christianity today. No one wants to be told what to do anymore. We have become masters of our own selves and yet we can not testify if being happier than before. Ask people who have divorced if they are more complete being alone again or there's a vacuum in their lives? We need to stop deceiving ourselves and let Jesus take over the stirring wheel of our lives! We cannot know more than our Creator! Though this message is rarely preached in churches today, Jesus is coming back again and SOON. Will you be raptures with Him?
We all go through different seasons of life. Some of our relationships last a long time, and some only last one season. It is right and good for you to meet with other Christians consistently. This effort is to encourage one another and to secure that we live lives empowered and changed by the gospel. “The Day” as it is referred to in the passage is the day that Jesus will return. That day is coming, and the more we understand that truth, the more urgent our call to live accordingly. The master is returning – in what state will He find you when He returns?

Happiness is secular but joy is spiritual.

Psalm 19:8
The precepts of the LORD are right,
giving joy to the heart. The commands of the LORD are radiant,
giving light to the eyes.

Many people are suffering from depression or have moments of happiness that do not last long, simply because the word of God is absent. No matter how rich you are you cannot buy joy because it is God given. People are divorcing in mass because they thought their marriage will bring happiness. As long as you search to have joy from an external source rather than developing a relationship with God, you will always be an unsatisfied being! There is no cure for depression other than the Word of God. Meditate in God's word and be healed. Meditation is medication! God wants us not just to be joyful but to be FULL of joy. Try it today. Read some verses out loud to yourself each morning and begin to see the power in God's word.

As you seek God and come to know Him you will find that your heart learns. It learns to experience joy, among other things, in a new and fulfilling way. God is not in the business of stealing joy; that is a card that evil plays against you. Coupled with grace, our obedience paves the way for us to borrow the eyes of God; to see the world, people, ourselves as God sees us. When this is really happening in your life, you cannot help but to transform. That transformation is welcomed because the radiance of God’s commands shows the way to accept the miraculous and impossible.

God is not a man that he should lie

Proverbs 30:5
Every word of God is flawless; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.

This verse supports scripture memory and consistently reading the Word of God. There is no mistake about what is written in the Bible or about what God means to communicate to us – His children. Through His Word He seeks to reveal Himself perfectly and in exactly the ways we need to see Him in our daily lives. Each day brings new challenges, but no day can bring a challenge that is too much for God. Depend on Him and take refuge in the one who can and will protect you. The shield of faith holds strong against any attack. You were made to stand firm with Christ - not on your own.

Verse/Commentary courtesy of 'Verse-A-Day' android app.
http://market.android.com/details?id=com.idelata.VerseADayFree